Seattle parishioners gather to discuss ministry to families
Recently, our CTA Western Washington chapter gathered with Catholics from parishes around the diocese for a discussion facilitated by Fr. John Whitney, pastor of St. Joseph parish. Call To Action members in Seattle decided to organize the event as a follow up to last year's discussion of what the Synod meant to lay Catholics. "It occurred to us at Call To Action Western Washington that to reach the most people to discuss the Synod on the Family, it would be best done in a parish setting." Explains Betty, a leader in the chapter, "This March, representatives from our CTAWW Board met with Fr. John and together we decided for St. Joseph Parish to be the sponsor of the 2015 Synod on the Family meeting. Call To Action would offer hospitality and advertisement."
About 100 people came to the discussion, representing various parishes as well as the CTA chapter. Betty says that participants gained insight into the Synod process and the need for Catholics to take part. All attendees received a copy of the official Synod documents and the discussion questions from the Our Catholic Family campaign (which Call To Action has co-sponsored). Participants voiced their dissatisfaction with the institutional Church, but also the hope they have in this new opportunity.
"Since Fr. John is a Jesuit he has insight into Pope Francis and what Pope Francis hopes to accomplish." says Betty, "Fr. John sees the synod like a Jesuit convocation, which is a collaborative effort. Many synods in the past came with an already set agenda only to be ratified by the synod body. This did not happen with the Synod on the Family. The votes on the individual paragraphs were transparent and required a two-thirds majority of bishops in attendance to make it into the document, the discussions were lively, the differences between those who favor a cannon law approach and those who favor a pastoral approach are striking." This move toward discussion and collaboration in Rome is fresh air for our Church.
Video and pictures of the event are available on the chapter's website.
